<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]--><o:SmartTagType
namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="State"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
h1
{mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:24.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-weight:bold;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.EmailStyle22
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:Arial;
color:black;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=blue id=MailContainerBody leftmargin=0
topmargin=0 CanvasTabStop=true name="Compose message area">
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Thanks for sharing this, it’s
really great!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Melanie<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>
<hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1>
</span></font></div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
nfbk-bounces@nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbk-bounces@nfbnet.org] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Kevin Pearl<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Thursday, January 27, 2011
5:32 PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> NFBK<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [Nfbk] Congressman Mica
to Participate in NFB Blind Driver ChallengeT</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<h1><b><font size=6 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:24.0pt'>Congressman
Mica to Participate in NFB Blind Driver Challenge™. <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p><span class=xn-location><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>WASHINGTON</span></font></span>, <span class=xn-chron>Jan.
27, 2011</span> /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Federation of the Blind
announced today that Congressman John Mica, who represents <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on"><span class=xn-location>Florida</span></st1:place></st1:State>'s
Seventh Congressional District and chairs the House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee, will participate in the demonstration of a vehicle
that can be driven by the blind. The Congressman will be present along
with NFB officials and other dignitaries when a modified Ford Escape equipped
with nonvisual technology allowing a blind person to drive it independently is
demonstrated as part of pre-race activities leading up to the Rolex 24 at the
Daytona International Speedway on <span class=xn-chron>January 29</span>.
Congressman Mica will drive the vehicle onto the course and present the
keys to a blind driver, who will then drive the road course alone. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Congressman
Mica said: "I am pleased to participate in this historic moment, which
will shatter misconceptions about blind citizens and show the world exciting
new technologies that will enhance the quality of living for many Americans.
I have no doubt that this event is a milestone in revolutionary
technological change that will dramatically improve transportation and safety
in the twenty-first century."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Dr. <span
class=xn-person>Marc Maurer</span>, President of the National Federation of the
Blind, said: "We are extremely pleased that Congressman Mica is joining us
for this historic occasion. It is fitting that the Chairman of the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will participate in the
demonstration of technology that will ultimately benefit sighted drivers as
well as the blind."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute—the only research and
training facility on blindness operated by the blind—has challenged
universities, technology developers, and other interested innovators to
establish NFB Blind Driver Challenge™ (BDC) teams, in collaboration with
the NFB, to build interface technologies that will empower blind people to drive
a car independently. The purpose of the NFB Blind Driver Challenge™
is to stimulate the development of nonvisual interface technology. The <span
class=xn-org>Virginia Tech</span>/TORC team, under the direction of Dr. <span
class=xn-person>Dennis Hong</span>, Director of the Robotics and Mechanisms
Laboratory at <span class=xn-org>Virginia Tech.</span>, is the only team that
has accepted the challenge. The team is currently working with the
National Federation of the Blind on the second-generation prototype vehicle to
integrate new and improved versions of the first-generation nonvisual interface
technologies into a Ford Escape. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>For more
information about the NFB, please visit <a href="http://www.nfb.org/"
target="_blank">www.nfb.org</a>. For our digital news release about the
Blind Driver Challenge™ and the debut of the BDC car at the Rolex 24,
including audio and video clips for television and radio, please visit <a
href="http://www.digitalnewsrelease.com/?q=NFB_CarKit" target="_blank"
title="http://www.digitalnewsrelease.com/?q=NFB_CarKit
CTRL + Click to follow link">www.DigitalNewsRelease.com/?q=NFB_CarKit</a>.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>About the National Federation of the Blind</span></font></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>With more
than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and
most influential membership organization of blind people in the <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
The NFB improves blind people's lives through advocacy, education, research,
technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It
is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's
blind. In <span class=xn-chron>January 2004</span> the NFB opened the
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and
training center in <span class=xn-location>the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region></span> for the blind
led by the blind.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>SOURCE
National Federation of the Blind. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=5 color="#3f0600" face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
18.0pt;color:#3F0600'>This release can be found online at: </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=5 color="#3f0600" face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
18.0pt;color:#3F0600'><a
href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/congressman-mica-to-participate-in-nfb-blind-driver-challenge-114713349.html">http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/congressman-mica-to-participate-in-nfb-blind-driver-challenge-114713349.html</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>